Source: Telegraph
Martin O'Neill angry with Fabio Capello over Emile Heskey
Heskey is a doubt for Villa's FA Cup fifth-round tie against Everton on Sunday after aggravating an Achilles strain in Seville. The striker played the first half in spite of the injury, which was sustained in Villa's Premier League match at Blackburn last weekend. [LNB]"Emile will be touch and go," said O'Neill, who is already without a suspended Gareth Barry. "He had come off in the game against Blackburn, not because he was tired but because he had an Achilles problem. [LNB]"Rest this week would have been the order of the day. I am surprised that he played considering he wouldn't have been fully fit."[LNB]Last week, O'Neill suggested that he would attempt to impress upon Capello the importance of keeping his players out of harm's way. However, he did not call the England manager regarding Heskey, as he believed it unnecessary. [LNB]"I didn't [call Capello]. I would have thought that those things would have been pretty straight forward," O'Neill said. "It was a friendly game. [LNB]"I could understand it if it was a qualifying game – they are important to the wellbeing of the country – but it was a friendly, and you can use seven or eight substitutes. I'm surprised with their medical staff. [LNB]"If you have been suffering from something a few days before then I think there should be some more care taken. The ironic thing was that James [Milner] and Ashley [Young] both arrived there with no injury problems and didn't play, and Emile arrived there with an injury problem and did play. [LNB]"There is always the possibility of players getting injured but if a player has got injured beforehand then it is not a risk worth taking. I've spoken to the England doctor and voiced some concerns there, and I will speak to the management team."[LNB]What will infuriate O'Neill further is the fact that Heskey's injury comes at a critical moment in the season. The club must play three matches over the next seven days. [LNB]In addition to the FA Cup match at Goodison Park, they host CSKA Moscow in the Uefa Cup on Wednesday, before what could be a seminal fixture with Chelsea in the league next weekend. "We could be in just one [competition] in a fortnight," O'Neill said. [LNB]Tinkering with tactics due to injuries is nothing new to Everton this season. The news that Louis Saha, out since November with a hamstring problem, will return to the bench has been clouded by the discovery that Belgian midfielder Marouane Fellaini has been diagnosed with a small crack in a bone in his back. Meanwhile, on-loan Manchester City striker Jo is cup-tied. [LNB]It could mean that Dan Gosling, the midfielder who scored the club's winner against Liverpool in the last round, is given a chance to start. "Every game I hope to start," Gosling said, "so fingers crossed if I keep working hard in the next few days I'll hopefully get the shout on Sunday." [LNB]
